Chapter 388 - 161: Celestial Secret Sect Master, Toad Wrath! Monk Taixuan
In the restored Yin Temple, Cui Yanliang sat cross-legged on a cattail mat. Wang E sat across from him, his expression rather grim.
Generally speaking, Daoists who practiced Daoist Skills prioritized the Divine Spirit over the Physique. He had never seen someone with a Physique so terrifyingly powerful.
When he was a child, not yet two, he could already kill lions and tigers with his bare hands. As a boy, before he was seven, he could enter the water and tear a Black Dragon apart.
As for the Cultivators and Evil Cultivators who had come looking for trouble, he had beaten batch after batch of them to death with just a punch or two.
He had never imagined he would be defeated so decisively.
This left him completely unable to calm his mind.
But a loss was a loss, and he wasn’t going to argue the point.
"Tell me, why do you harbor such deep resentment toward these people?"
"And if your resentment is so profound, why do you still provide them with Shelter?"
Cui Yanliang didn’t mention their previous bet, asking a different question instead.
Although he wasn’t an expert in Divination and Deduction, at his current Realm, he naturally possessed some predictive abilities.
But he wanted to hear Wang E’s side of the story.
"A bunch of ungrateful wretches. How could they possibly be worthy of my notice?"
Wang E took a deep breath, sneered, and began his tale.
He was born in a nearby village. In his youth, his mind was in a state of Chaos. His parents had died, and even though he was gifted with unparalleled Divine Power, the villagers had nearly beaten him to death on several occasions.
With no place for him in the village, he was forced at a young age to sleep in the Yin Temple.
"Back then, my mind was in Chaos. I didn’t know right from wrong, but I knew good from bad. This Yin Temple was old and in disrepair, long neglected by everyone. Since I was living here, I cleaned it up every day and would kowtow in sincere worship..."
"The Old Mansion Master took pity on my youth. He would guide me every day, bestowing some of his fortune upon me and infusing it into my body."
"That’s why I always came back with something, whether I went to the river or into the forest. I was able to support myself..."
Wang E recounted his story calmly.
His Mental Realm seemed undisturbed, but his voice was truly massive. Even speaking calmly, it was more than ten times louder than another person’s hysterical shout.
Cui Yanliang’s expression remained unchanged, but the Armored Warriors couldn’t take it.
Shaking their heads, they retreated from the Yin Temple one by one.
They had no interest in the story of this big oaf.
"When you arrived, the Yin Temple was already abandoned, but the Old Mansion Master was still here?"
Cui Yanliang interjected.
’Five years ago, the battle between the Yin Department Daoists and the Gui Chen Sect had affected almost all of Da Yu. No Daoist could remain uninvolved.’
’The ruin of this Yin Temple must have happened back then.’
"Ruin? It was far worse than that!"
Anger suddenly flared in Wang E’s heart. His voice rose, shaking the Yin Temple violently:
"Those ungrateful bastards! They smashed my godfather’s statue, doused it with filth, and destroyed the entire Yin Temple! His death is inextricably linked to them!"
"I just hate that I was born five years too late! Otherwise, I would’ve crushed every last one of those damn dogs to death in a cesspit!"
As his anger flared, the surrounding temperature rose significantly. Streaks of crimson, like the searing heat of a great fire, appeared in the void.
Outside the door, the group of Armored Warriors frowned secretly.
"Godfather?"
This caught Cui Yanliang’s attention.
"Yes, godfather."
At the mention of his godfather, Wang E’s expression softened, a rare sight.
"Godfather didn’t like those people praying to gods and buddhas. After that great catastrophe, he refused to accept the Incense or worship of anyone."
"He still provided Shelter for this place, but he no longer responded to anyone’s Incense prayers. I worshipped him for years, but he only ever saw me as a son, not a follower..."
Wang E sank into his memories, and his voice became subdued.
The Old Mansion Master’s kindness to him was profound. He had cleansed his bloodline, awakened his mind, and brought order to his chaotic intellect. He was like a second parent to him—the only person in his entire life who had ever been good to him.
"What a pity..."
Cui Yanliang sighed softly.
’In the past five years, he had seen too many Daoists. Some were villains who exploited their followers, while others sat on their lofty perches, idly watching as Demon Ghosts ran rampant.’
’There were also those who, disheartened and disillusioned, had sealed themselves away in their Incense Worlds to slowly await death.’
’And then there was the batch that had transformed into Demon Ghosts out of sheer rage...’
𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂
’The Yin Department Daoists had defeated the Gui Chen Sect, but they could not win the hearts of the people.’
’The great turmoil five years ago had completely destroyed the Yin Department Divine System that had been passed down for millennia.’
"Before my godfather died, he made me observe five years of mourning and provide Shelter for the people here. For five years, I’ve killed Demon Ghosts and slain evil and Demons, but I have refused every bit of their Incense!"
"Once the mourning period is over, I won’t care if every last one of them dies!"
Wang E said coldly,
"There are three months left. When the mourning period ends, I will leave with my godfather’s statue on my back. As for you people, or those Evil Cultivators and that mysterious person from before..."
"...do whatever you want!"
Having said his piece, Wang E stood up.
He took out three sticks of incense, lit them one by one, and placed them in the Incense Burner before the statue. Then, he kowtowed three times respectfully.
At this moment, Jin Yunfeng, who had been listening quietly, suddenly spoke up:
"A mysterious person? What kind of mysterious person?"
’He wasn’t surprised that Evil Cultivators would come here.’
’For five years, they had been implementing a new law, distributing the Divine Dao Seeds that Su Bai had deduced to various Daoists.’
’This allowed them to transform into Mountain Gods, Land Gods, River Gods, and Sea Gods, driving out most of the Evil Cultivators within Da Yu’s borders.’
’It was no surprise that they had fled to the Far East.’
"An old Daoist with a white beard and hair. He looked kind and compassionate, but in reality, he was extremely dangerous..."
Straightening up, Wang E’s expression grew solemn: