Chapter 845: The Dragon King Temple
Chapter 845: The Dragon King Temple
In the misty waters of the Yan River, a small spirit boat glided through the thick fog.
Water Yanluo, the boatman, rowed at the bow, while Xie Liu, sword in hand, stood at the stern, his face dark and menacing as he glared at Mo Hua and his two companions.
Ouyang Feng was tending to his wounds, and Huashan Qianqian bit her lip, her eyes filled with anxiety.
Mo Hua, on the other hand, looked curiously around, his gaze darting from side to side as if he were on a leisurely outing, admiring the scenery along the riverbanks.
But it was night, and the fog was dense, offering no scenery to see.
Mo Hua asked, "Hey, where are we going?"
Xie Liu's forehead twitched.
Mo Hua's carefree and almost cheerful demeanor infuriated him.
It was as if, in this group, Water Yanluo was just a boatman, Xie Liu a bodyguard, and Mo Hua a young master on a pleasure trip, asking where they were headed.
This damn brat, did he even realize his current predicament?
Did he have no sense of the danger he was in?
Xie Liu really wanted to strike him down with his sword.
But he couldn't kill him yet.
He needed a few hostages, and bringing some live captives to that place was necessary for any unforeseen circumstances.
Suppressing his urge to kill, Xie Liu could only let Mo Hua continue his antics for now.
Seeing that Xie Liu ignored him, Mo Hua turned to look at Water Yanluo, who was rowing the boat.
Mo Hua stared at Water Yanluo for a moment and said, "You only have one arm, yet you row the boat so well. Did you used to row for people often?"
Water Yanluo took a deep breath and replied coldly, "You'd better shut up."
Mo Hua said, "It's so quiet here. Don't you find it boring?"
Water Yanluo couldn't understand how this brat had managed to survive in the cultivation world.
Had no one ever tried to kill him?
Water Yanluo calmed himself and continued rowing.
Mo Hua, feeling bored, leaned against the boat's edge and dangled his hand in the water, hoping to catch a glimpse of a small silver fish that might reveal some secrets.
Ouyang Feng watched Mo Hua silently, his heart filled with admiration.
A steadfast resolve, calm in the face of great events, and composed in times of crisis—perhaps this was the demeanor of a true cultivator seeking immortality.
Among three people, there is always something to learn from one of them.
Though young, Mo Hua had many qualities worth emulating...
Huashan Qianqian, standing nearby, also glanced at Mo Hua, feeling a sense of calm she couldn't quite explain.
The group continued to glide through the fog in silence.
The only sound was the gentle splashing of Mo Hua's hand in the water.
After some time, Mo Hua's mood suddenly sank as he looked ahead. Through the dense fog, a massive, vague shape began to emerge.
A strange aura slowly spread.
"What is this...?"
Mo Hua's pupils dilated, his heart tightening.
Sensing the aura ahead, Water Yanluo hesitated for a moment. But with the revelation of the Yanzi Boat and the pursuit of a large group of cultivators from the Dao Court, the foggy waters offered few places to hide. This place was their only option.
Water Yanluo gritted his teeth and urged the spirit boat forward.
After a short while, the boat drew closer to the massive, vague shape, which gradually revealed itself to be a grand temple.
A solitary temple, floating on the water like a giant aquatic beast.
Mo Hua's eyes widened in shock, and he asked Water Yanluo, somewhat nervously, "What... what is this place? How can there be such a large temple on the water?"
Water Yanluo sneered.
Now you're afraid, brat.
What place? This is the place from which you won't return.
Water Yanluo thought, maintaining a cold demeanor. "You'll find out when we go inside."
Water Yanluo steered the spirit boat to the temple's entrance, where a long staircase led from the temple doors down to the water's edge.
Water Yanluo jumped onto the stairs and looked back at Mo Hua and the others.
Mo Hua didn't move.
Xie Liu pointed his sword at him and ordered, "Get up there."
"Fine, fine... Uncle Gu's defeated opponent, can't handle a Golden Core, but bullying Foundation Establishment cultivators is a piece of cake..." Mo Hua muttered.
Xie Liu's face twitched.
Seeing Xie Liu about to lose his temper, Mo Hua immediately jumped onto the shore.
Ouyang Feng and Huashan Qianqian followed Mo Hua up the stairs.
Xie Liu, after securing the spirit boat, also climbed the stairs.
Water Yanluo led the way, with Xie Liu, a Golden Core cultivator, bringing up the rear, "escorting" Mo Hua and his companions up the long staircase and into the grand temple.
As they approached the temple entrance, Mo Hua looked up and saw the red walls and golden tiles of the temple, its grand doors and flying eaves, and a large plaque hanging above.
The plaque, with ancient and elegant calligraphy, bore three large characters:
Dragon King Temple.
Dragon King...
Mo Hua was stunned.
He had heard tales of many divine beasts, such as true dragons, phoenixes, qilins, and the Four Divine Beasts. But these were ancient legends, and he had never seen any of them with his own eyes.
Now, before him, stood a Dragon King Temple.
Even if it wasn't a true dragon, a river dragon would still be formidable.
As Mo Hua pondered, Water Yanluo looked around and frowned. "Where are the temple guardians?"
Xie Liu released his divine consciousness and his gaze sharpened. "Reassigned?"
Water Yanluo shook his head slightly. "That's unlikely... This is a critical location; it can't be left unguarded."
Xie Liu nodded in agreement.
Water Yanluo examined the temple doors, his expression turning grim. "I have a feeling this temple is different from before. The yin and sha qi are much stronger..."
Xie Liu sensed the area, but without expertise in divine consciousness, he felt nothing unusual and frowned. "We need to go inside and check. The fog outside is too heavy to stay long."
"Agreed," Water Yanluo nodded.
He took out a fish bone token, cut his finger, and dripped blood onto the token. He then embedded the token into the mouth of a beast statue at the temple entrance and bowed respectfully, saying, "Servant has arrived to offer 'offerings' to the divine master."
The temple doors remained still.
Water Yanluo dared not make any sudden moves.
Xie Liu held his breath and focused intently.
Only Mo Hua looked at the temple door with eager anticipation.
After a while, a voice that seemed to belong to Water Judge reached somewhere and received a response.
Outside the temple door, a blood-colored flash appeared on the fishbone token.
The bronze statue containing the fishbone trembled, and its eyes emitted a sinister green light. With a deep rumble, the ancient door of the Dragon King Temple slowly opened.
Water Judge slowly straightened his body, exchanged a glance with Xie Liu, and then said to Mo Hua and the others, "Go in..."
"However, I must warn you," Water Judge's gaze was unfriendly, especially when it fell on Mo Hua, "Don't try any tricks. If you do, I'd rather destroy that thing myself than let you live."
"Sure, sure," Mo Hua replied dismissively.
He didn't believe for a moment that Water Judge would give up the box.
Water Judge's abilities, especially the method to transmute negative energy and the Blood Hell Pupil Technique, all depended on the Water Hell Forbidden Box. Without it, he would never advance again in his life.
Moreover, the box was a secret transmission from the head of the Water Hell Sect, likely containing other valuable items that just couldn't be opened yet.
It was absurd to think Water Judge would give it up...
Mo Hua thought to himself.
Then, Water Judge led the way into the Dragon King Temple.
Mo Hua followed, but hesitated before crossing the threshold.
In his sleeve, he clutched a Heavenly Chance Copper Coin.
Mo Hua wanted to divinate the outcome of this journey, but he had a premonition that he absolutely shouldn't. If he did, it would be detected, and things would go wrong.
Mo Hua caressed the coin, suppressing the urge to divinate, then put it away and stepped over the threshold of the Dragon King Temple.
They walked into the depths of the temple.
A moment later, a blood-red glow appeared in the thick fog.
The door of the Dragon King Temple slowly closed, like a giant monster closing its blood-stained maw...
...
On the Vermilion Boat.
The battle was almost over.
The cultivators on the Vermilion Boat, whether from noble families or sects, were shaken by Mo Hua's sudden explosion during a moment of passion.
Then, as the sea of fire spread and they fled in panic, they encountered cultivators from the Dao Court. They had almost no resistance left.
The Dao Court captured those they needed to, and showed no mercy to the stubborn ones.
At this point, they were mostly just cleaning up.
But there was one exception, Ye Hong.
He was brought before Gu Changhuai and Xia Diansi by the Dao Court.
Ye Hong presented a letter and said, "A young master boarded my ship and gave me this letter before he left. He said if we encountered the Dao Court, I should give this letter to a Commissioner surnamed Gu to clear any misunderstandings and avoid trouble."
A Commissioner surnamed Gu...
Xia Diansi glanced at Gu Changhuai.
Gu Changhuai remained calm, took the letter, and read it. His eyebrows raised.
The letter was indeed from Mo Hua and simply said, "Uncle Gu, this person is named Ye Hong, the father of Senior Sister Ye Jin. He is not a bad person."
Seeing Xia Diansi's displeased expression, Gu Changhuai showed her the letter. She nodded after reading it, then said to Ye Hong, "I understand. Although you were unaware of the Vermilion Boat's true nature and were not involved in its activities, one of the boats in the Vermilion Boat was yours. You will need to accompany us to the Dao Court to explain the situation, provide a statement, and sign a spirit contract as part of the procedure."
Ye Hong felt a wave of relief and bowed, "Of course."
"Alright, you can go now," Xia Diansi said.
"Yes," Ye Hong bowed again. However, he hesitated and asked in a low voice, "Where is that young master now..."
The explosion and the spreading fire had Ye Hong searching for Mo Hua for a long time, but he found no sign of him. He couldn't help but worry.
He didn't know the explosion was Mo Hua's doing, so he was concerned that Mo Hua might have been caught in it.
Gu Changhuai said, "Don't worry. He should be fine."
Given Mo Hua's cleverness, it would be strange if he was harmed by his own array.
"Yes," Ye Hong bowed.
He was at the peak of the Foundation Establishment realm, from a third-rank noble family, and naturally treated Gu Changhuai, a Golden Core cultivator and Dao Court Commissioner, with utmost respect.
Ye Hong turned to leave, but as he reached the door, he encountered someone and paused.
"Commissioner Xiao?"
Xiao Tianquan's gaze also showed a hint of surprise when he saw Ye Hong, but he quickly concealed it and nodded in greeting, "Elder Ye."
Gu Changhuai's gaze sharpened, "You know each other?"
Ye Hong explained, "Our Ye family is a third-rank noble family in Smoky Water City. Commissioner Xiao once stayed in Smoky Water City for some time on official business and had a few encounters with me, so we have some acquaintance."
Xiao Tianquan also bowed, "Thank you for your hospitality at the Ye residence. However..."
His gaze flickered as he asked, "Elder Ye, why are you here?"
"This... it's a long story..." Ye Hong sighed. Seeing it wasn't the right time to talk, he said, "Commissioner Xiao, you have official duties. I won't disturb you further. If there's an opportunity in the future, I will treat you with the utmost hospitality."
Xiao Tianquan bowed, "Thank you, Elder Ye."
Their relationship seemed quite good.
Gu Changhuai didn't mind.
Dao Court cultivators had their official duties, but they also had private connections.
After Ye Hong left, Xiao Tianquan reported, "Commissioner Xia, Commissioner Gu, everything has been handled."
"The fire has been extinguished, and the cultivators who fell into the water have been rescued if possible. Those who couldn't be saved were devoured by the water demons."
"Those injured by the array have been treated with elixirs and are bound with spirit locks on the Dao Court's ship, to be identified and dealt with upon return."
"Key figures have all been captured and recorded."
"However, Water Judge is missing..."
Xiao Tianquan's gaze was heavy.
As he spoke, another person entered.
This person wore a Dao Court Commissioner's robe, exuded a deep aura, and moved with agility. He was also a Golden Core cultivator, but his eyes were slightly narrowed, and his smile seemed forced, giving off a sense of unease.
This person is Xiao Diansi.
Before this, Mo Hua had given him a nickname, "Smiling Tiger."
Xiao Diansi entered the room, exchanged brief greetings with Gu Changhuai and Xia Diansi, and then said, "I've done some inquiries and investigations. There is indeed a Golden Core cultivator on this ship."
"This Golden Core cultivator is named Xie Liu. He was once an inner disciple instructor of the Gui Shui Sect, with considerable seniority. With a few more years, he could have been promoted to an 'Elder.'"
"However, he has close ties with the Duan Jin Sect and was involved in a case related to the Duan Jin Sect’s core lineage."
"This case, though not major, was still a significant fault, bringing disgrace to the Gui Shui Sect. As a result, Xie Liu was expelled from the sect."
"But what we didn’t expect was that after being expelled, he continued to engage in these dirty deeds in secret."
"Gui Shui Sect truly... has had an unfortunate time..." Xiao Diansi sighed, squinting his eyes.
Gu Changhuai's expression was somewhat odd.
He knew that while Xie Liu might be engaging in dirty deeds, these deeds were originally part of the Gui Shui Sect. If it came down to it, the Gui Shui Sect was even dirtier.
However, since they were all Diansi, they had to maintain a certain level of decorum in public.
"This Xie Liu seems to have escaped..." Xiao Diansi continued, "I used interrogation techniques on a few people and obtained some clues from them."
"According to them, the Yan Zhi Boat was secretly enchanted and then suddenly exploded, causing a massive fire. Xie Liu, a Golden Core cultivator, and the wanted 'Water Yanluo' took three young cultivators hostage and fled into the thick fog..."
Gu Changhuai frowned, "Hostage..."
He glanced at Xia Diansi, and their eyes met. Both looked grave.
"Xie Liu must be brought to justice, and Water Yanluo cannot be allowed to escape again. Let’s do this: Gu Diansi and I will go after them, and Xiao Diansi, you can help with the aftermath on the Yan Zhi Boat," Xia Diansi said.
"Xia Diansi’s plan is sound, but..." Xiao Diansi squinted his eyes, his expression unreadable, but his tone conveyed a hint of concern: "It might not be safe for the two of you. Xie Liu is unscrupulous, and Water Yanluo is cunning and hard to deal with."
"Moreover, they are now cornered and have fled into the thick fog, which suggests that there might be a haven for evil cultivators deep within. It’s not impossible that other Golden Core evil cultivators are hiding there..."
Xiao Diansi continued, "Of course, Xia Diansi and Gu Diansi are both highly skilled and brave, and are top talents in the Dao Ting Si. You naturally have nothing to fear from these evil cultivators."
"But precisely because of this, if anything were to happen to you two, it would be a significant loss for the Dao Ting Si. Please be cautious and think carefully before acting..."
Xiao Diansi had been in the Dao Ting Si for many years, and his skill in speaking was evident.
Xia Diansi asked, "What do you suggest, Xiao Diansi?"
Xiao Diansi pondered and said, "In that case, perhaps... I should go with you. Even a lion uses its full strength to catch a rabbit. With three Golden Core cultivators acting together, Xie Liu and Water Yanluo, no matter how powerful they are, will not be able to stand a chance..."
Xia Diansi was somewhat hesitant, "But what about the Yan Zhi Boat..."
Xiao Diansi replied, "The situation with the Yan Zhi Boat has been handled. The Dao Ting Si will send people to take over, and the rest will be minor details that don’t require our attention."
"On the contrary, time is of the essence with Xie Liu. If we don’t pursue them soon, we might lose them."
Xia Diansi thought for a moment and slowly nodded.
In this situation, it was indeed better for all three of them to go.
Moreover, Xia Diansi knew that although Xiao Diansi had lowered himself, in terms of position, they were all Diansi. On the surface, she was in charge out of respect for the Xia family.
In reality, she had no authority to issue orders to other Diansi.
Xiao Diansi’s humility had given her enough face, and she couldn’t easily refuse.
"Alright, we will go together to apprehend Xie Liu and Water Yanluo," Xia Diansi said.
As she spoke, Xiao Tianquan also bowed and said, "Xia Diansi, I am not very capable, but I would like to join you."
"You?" Xia Diansi was slightly taken aback.
Xiao Tianquan said with righteous indignation, "Water Yanluo is a heinous criminal, and everyone should be able to apprehend him. I have been restless since he escaped last time. This time, I must bring him to justice. Please allow me to join you."
Xia Diansi glanced at Xiao Tianquan, recalling her uncle’s instructions, and nodded, "Alright, you can come."
"Yes," Xiao Tianquan bowed.
Gu Changhuai thought Xiao Tianquan was eager to prove himself and did not take it to heart.
However, Xiao Diansi, standing to the side, looked at Xiao Tianquan with a mix of indifference and hostility.
Later, the Dao Ting Si prepared a spirit boat.
Gu Changhuai, Xia Diansi, Xiao Diansi, and Xiao Tianquan boarded the spirit boat and sailed towards the thick fog.
As they went, Xiao Diansi, who had been squinting and smiling insincerely, turned back to look at the Yan Zhi Boat, which was still in ruins, with blood and fire mingling and not yet extinguished. His eyes widened slightly.
His pupils reflected a sea of blood.
A thread of malevolent energy flowed through them.
...
In the Dragon King Temple.
Mo Hua and her group were still making their way inside.
The temple was spacious, with high walls and flying eaves, but it was eerily empty and silent.
Water Yanluo and Xie Liu grew increasingly uneasy as they walked.
Even Mo Hua felt a growing sense of unease.
They finally reached a large hall. Water Yanluo hesitated for a moment, then knocked on the door and said, "Mr. Wu, I have brought the 'offering.'"
There was no response from inside the room.
"Mr. Wu?"
Water Yanluo frowned.
"Where is everyone in the temple?"
"Mr. Wu, are you there?"
"Mr. Wu..."
Water Yanluo’s voice grew softer, and his mood grew graver.
At that moment, a dripping sound was heard. Water Yanluo’s expression stiffened, and he quickly retreated a few steps.
At the same time, something fell from the roof beam and landed on the ground.
Everyone focused their gaze.
It was a bloody corpse.
(End of Chapter)
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