Chapter 119: Temple of Miao

This scene was exceptionally bizarre. However, to Xu Qing and Zhang San, both had witnessed similar events before. Compared to what the Captain was doing at that moment, the unseen enemies outside seemed insignificant. Throughout his life, Xu Qing had admired few people: the teacher from the slum, Captain Lei from the camp, and Master Bai who taught him about herbs. These individuals earned his heartfelt respect. Now, there was one more.

However, what Xu Qing admired about the Captain was his sheer madness—the way he played with his own life. Daring to venture into the deep sea at this moment, risking his life to plunder the flesh and blood of the Gu Ying, was something only someone with a deranged mind and body could do. As for the Captain's true identity and cultivation level, Xu Qing no longer wished to guess; it was pointless. "I hope the Captain succeeds," Xu Qing murmured.

The Captain had given him a Foundation Establishment Pill in exchange for him guarding this place for the duration of an incense stick. Xu Qing would honor his promise. With a flicker of his body, he shot towards the temple entrance.

Upon nearing the entrance, Xu Qing glanced at the empty space outside. Raising his right hand, he fiercely waved it, instantly releasing a large quantity of poison powder. It dissolved into the seawater, rapidly spreading outwards. This time, the poison powder was not colorless; it contained multiple hues—black, red, blue, green—blending together to form a vibrant, kaleidoscopic mixture. The potency of the toxins within had increased dramatically. In the originally empty external area, a more piercing sizzling sound quickly emerged, and violent fluctuations created a distorted area outside the temple. Then, a fleshy tentacle as thick as a thigh suddenly shot out from the empty space in front of Xu Qing, lashing directly towards him. Its speed was immense, stirring up waves wherever it passed. And it wasn't just one; dozens of similar tentacles began to emerge from other locations, all rushing towards Xu Qing simultaneously.

Xu Qing's eyes gleamed with cold light. After swiftly dodging a tentacle that whistled past him, he fiercely swung his Seven-Headed Blade with his right hand, bringing it down hard and instantly severing the tentacle in two. He then took a step forward and engaged in battle with the incoming tentacles. In an instant, flesh and blood splattered everywhere. Xu Qing's ferocity became evident at this moment; due to the sheer number of tentacles, his Seven-Headed Blade became entangled. He simply let go of the blade, grabbed a tentacle in front of him, and yanked it violently. The ground rumbled, and a deep pit exploded open. A strange beast, squirming like a worm, was suddenly pulled out by Xu Qing. As it twisted, a large head with a terrifying maw appeared at its end, turning its body to bite Xu Qing. Xu Qing remained calm. The Fiend Shadow behind him instantly materialized, punching fiercely towards the incoming large-headed beast. With a loud boom, the seawater seemed to explode with vibrations, and the large-headed beast instantly disintegrated. It didn't end there. Xu Qing dashed towards another tentacle, pulled out another creature, and delivered another punch.

Zhang San, witnessing this scene from inside the temple, couldn't help but gasp. "He's not as insane as the Captain, but this Xu Qing is incredibly fierce," Zhang San muttered to himself. He wasn't idle either; he formed hand seals, and immediately, the delicate silk threads around his body shot out of the temple. They too began to kill enemies.

Outside, the mechanisms roared even more frequently. Areas where Zhang San had buried traps began to collapse one after another, and figures, made increasingly clear by Xu Qing's poison, were forced to reveal themselves. They were Mermen. However, these Mermen were different from ordinary ones; they seemed to possess a degree of stealth and were more ferocious. Although they were all spitting blood and bore traces of poisoning, they didn't retreat. Instead, they charged directly towards the temple entrance. Their target wasn't Xu Qing, but the fleshy deity statue inside the temple. It seemed the appearance of this mass of flesh had caused some kind of disturbance, driving them into a frenzy to stop it. But just as these Merman cultivators approached the temple entrance, a sudden roar erupted. Zhang San had buried a large number of mechanisms at the entrance. Xu Qing had passed through without incident, but when these Mermen approached, the ground instantly exploded. A furious impact swept through, forcing the Mermen to retreat. At the same time, Xu Qing, who was fighting the tentacles, suddenly changed his expression. He felt vibrations from the ground and a terrifying aura rapidly approaching the temple from beneath the earth. "Brother Zhang San, carry the statue out!" Xu Qing immediately roared.

Zhang San reacted extremely quickly, without hesitation, turning to hoist the fleshy deity statue onto his shoulder. A fierce expression appeared on his face as he burst out of the temple, his right hand waving, causing the silk threads surrounding him to spin sharply. The moment he rushed out of the temple, the entire structure collapsed with a roar. A giant, decaying hand suddenly emerged from the ground. Although it grabbed nothing, as it slapped the earth and pushed for support, a hundred-zhang-tall figure climbed out. A thick cloud of corpse poison instantly spread. This figure was a corpse, not just one, but a fusion of many bodies. Now, with a ferocious expression, it slammed its hands and feet against the ground, charging wildly like a beast towards Zhang San. Zhang San's expression changed. He quickly threw the carried statue towards Xu Qing.

Xu Qing leaped, catching the fleshy deity statue with one hand. As he retreated, he held a dagger in his left hand and slashed at the empty space beside him. Instantly, blood spurted out, and a head floated down from concealment. At the same time, the colossal corpse in the distance changed direction, roaring as it charged directly at Xu Qing. Xu Qing's eyes narrowed. His speed exploded, and he sprinted into the distance. Simultaneously, Zhang San seemed to gain momentum, his body being violently pulled closer to Xu Qing. Xu Qing wasn't surprised; he had felt a silk thread on the statue when he caught it, one of Zhang San's bindings. "What is this thing? It made the Captain go into the deep sea, and now that it's formed, it's driven these Mermen and sea corpses so crazy!" Zhang San exclaimed in horror as he approached. Xu Qing had no answer, but he remembered the Captain's words: guard it for the duration of an incense stick. So, he threw the fleshy deity statue to Zhang San. "Brother Zhang San, you guard it here." Having said that, killing intent erupted in Xu Qing's eyes. With a dagger in his left hand and the black iron sign in his right, the Fiend Shadow roared behind him as he charged fiercely towards the approaching colossal corpse. His speed was immense, closing the distance in an instant. As a deafening roar erupted, Xu Qing's Fiend Shadow continuously hammered with punches, and his poison was released on a large scale at that moment. Wherever he passed, spectral figures materialized, letting out mournful screams as they collapsed. The massive sea corpse, too, was repeatedly forced back by Xu Qing's onslaught. Finally, under Xu Qing's control, countless water droplets suddenly formed restraints, trapping the colossal sea corpse. Xu Qing's eyes shone with cold light. With a wave of his hand, his dharma boat appeared, and its divine tip unleashed a devastating strike in an instant. A golden pillar of light, seemingly capable of purifying everything, pierced directly through the seawater and struck the colossal corpse. Amidst the roar, the corpse trembled, tore into pieces, and utterly disintegrated. Unwilling to waste the divine power, Xu Qing swiftly retracted his dharma boat. He turned, his eyes flashing with killing intent, and suddenly charged towards the surrounding Mermen. Dagger waving, blood splattered. The black iron sign whistled and circled around him, piercing directly through individual Mermen. Although the Vajra Sect Ancestor within it remained sealed and dormant, not awakened by Xu Qing, the iron sign itself had become quite extraordinary with its spirit, possessing immense destructive power. After a short while, Xu Qing had cleared the area of enemies. He was covered in blood, and signs of fatigue were evident on him, but the killing intent in his eyes remained intense. The black iron sign beside him was even more so; as its malevolent aura diffused, a faint hint of Foundation Establishment intent subtly emanated from it. It seemed the Vajra Sect Ancestor was about to awaken. And the Fiend Shadow behind Xu Qing stood menacingly, as if bearing witness to the slaughter.

This scene, observed by Zhang San, caused his mind to tremble. He looked at the blood covering the ground, then at Xu Qing's blade-like figure. He suddenly felt his previous judgment was wrong. This Xu Qing, perhaps not as insane as the Captain, was just as brutal! Especially since most of the corpses on the ground had their throats slit. And at this moment, the duration of an incense stick had also passed.

But the Captain hadn't returned. Xu Qing was silent. He glanced at the fleshy deity statue Zhang San was carrying and waited for another half incense stick's duration. Zhang San also noticed that a lot of time had passed, and his expression became somewhat dim. "Brother Zhang San, time has passed. I have another area to go to. Take care," Xu Qing said softly, handing Zhang San a bag of poison and explaining its usage. Then, he turned and suddenly moved forward into the distance. He hoped the Captain would succeed, but he wouldn't wait indefinitely for it. In this world of the Mermen, Xu Qing had more important matters to attend to.

At this moment, his speed fully erupted. Once he reached an isolated area, he took out his Spirit Breath Lantern, placed it in his shadow to sense, and quickly determined the precise location. He then put away the lantern and galloped towards the depths of the temple cluster. Time slowly passed. This temple cluster was vast. After half an hour, Xu Qing paused, looking up at a very ordinary temple ahead. This temple was no different from the surrounding structures, yet the Spirit Breath Lantern's spiritual fluctuations pointed to this very spot. Xu Qing vigilantly checked his surroundings. After confirming it was empty and clear, he swiftly scattered large amounts of poison, integrating it into the surroundings, enveloping the entire temple and extending far inside. Xu Qing didn't act rashly; instead, he hid and waited silently. Only after finding nothing unusual did he dash in, entering the temple, and instantly surveying his surroundings the moment he stepped inside.

The temple interior was empty, save for a single statue. This statue was not of Gu Ying, but of an elder Merman. His expression commanded respect without anger, and he wore a crown on his head. Overall, there was nothing extraordinary about it. Xu Qing glanced around, his gaze falling upon the temple walls. But just like the empty space, the walls were also unremarkable. Xu Qing searched for a long time but found nothing. So, he took out his Spirit Breath Lantern and checked his surroundings again; everything was still normal. Xu Qing pondered for a moment, then lit the Spirit Breath Lantern and walked a full circle inside the temple, still finding nothing.

Xu Qing mused, then decided to place the lantern within his shadow. In an instant, the lantern's light changed color, shifting from dim yellow to an eerie green. The light illuminated the surroundings, and a portion of it fell upon the wall, where some changes seemed to appear. Xu Qing's eyes narrowed, and he slowly approached. As he drew closer, the eerie green light gradually illuminated a wider area on the wall. Slowly, the wall twisted, and to Xu Qing's astonishment, the entire wall, originally blank, revealed a mural.

The mural depicted a vast scene, seemingly a place where a colossal altar was located. Countless white bones formed a sea, and upon this sea of bones stood three towering figures, reaching into the clouds. Two bowed in reverence, while one stood tall. Of the two bowing, the one on the right was precisely the elder Merman from the temple, though in the mural, he was like an emperor, possessing even greater majesty. His colossal figure stood there with extraordinary might, his crown inlaid with a gem. On the other side was an old hag-like figure, clad in a fishbone robe, exuding tentacles, and with a ferocious ghastly visage on its back—this was Gu Ying. The figure being worshipped by them was a giant whose entire body was entwined by a nine-headed serpent. This giant wore armor covered in countless runes, carried two worlds on its shoulders, and had a greatsword floating above its head. This sword gave a breathtaking sensation, as if its descent could cleave heaven and earth. Worshipped by Gu Ying and the Merman Emperor, he seemed even more like a deity. On his body, one of the serpent heads held a burning lamp in its mouth. The lamp was shaped like an inverted black umbrella, its appearance identical to the Spirit Breath Lantern, but the feeling it exuded was entirely on a different level. It was like comparing a common rock to a beautiful jade. Furthermore, it contained supreme imperial might, making it clear to anyone who saw it that this was the genuine article.